THEY HAVE TALES TO TELL FROM FAR AWAY SHORES

I have just survived a very exciting motor boat trip to St Agnes, another of the delightful islands in this Isles of Scilly archipelago. I was allowed to steer for a while, avoiding obstacles such as seals, puffins and hidden rocks.

All the islands are attached to one another by sand bars which are revealed at low tide (especially now at a low Spring tide) and of course, all these islands are linked up to each other and the “mainlands” of France and England, deep down, by granitic rock on the sea bed, as part of the massive Permian batholith that stretches between north west France and Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor. 

I make that point because I want to keep the “island” theme going for a bit longer before I return from holiday. And by the way, find a map of the ocean bed for the region to check out what all this previous “guff” means.

The Pacific Games are on at the moment and the Federal States of Micronesia qualify for this four yearly event, entering especially in the football tournament. FSM are not doing very well. In fact they have played three and lost three matches, conceding 114 goals. The scores in their group have been:- v Tahiti 0-30, v Fiji 0-38 and v Vanuatu 0-46. Players are actually queuing up to go in goal because the slightest effort of success by a “guardian” is greeted by enthusiastic applause, where as any outfield player is barely getting a kick of the ball.

A goal is being scored every 142 seconds against them. Manager Paul Watson, whose brother is an English comedian, has kept his sense of humour.

FSM are not affiliated to FIFA and therefore cannot play in “official” competitions so they have to rely on friendlies and have to wait until, 2019, when the next Pacific Games is held, to try out their new team! With only a population 100,000 people, FSM lost to Vanuatu, a team ranked 200^th in FIFA rankings. T team is selected from four islands 100 kms apart and only 500 players fall into the appropriate age group, coming from Phonpei (subject of a fine footballing book called "Up Phonpei"), Chuuk and Yap-I am not making this up!

BUT they are taking part and getting an experience. Watson tells us that most of his team have never seen an escalator or a lift, so they have many tales to tell their loved ones when they return home.
The competition was won by New Caledonia, who beat Tahiti. new Zealand should have won but in their semi-final they fielded an ineligible player and were disqualified!

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jul/07/micronesia-defeat-46-vanuatu-pacific-games